One Way Road
by Raiden616
Summary: Jaden Yuki has a journey to make. Make of it what you will.


**One Way Road **

Jaden Yuki's eyes opened slowly. The glare from the sun above him hurt his eyes, but he didn't care.

His surroundings were unusually quiet, and the curiosity this produced was enough to pull him up off of the dusty road. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to light, Jaden used his right hand to brush the dirt and grass off his jacket, before moving up to the back of his hair, only to seconds later yank them out of the sticky mess of sweat and hair jel. Once his eyes had adjusted, he scanned the area around him.

He was sitting in the middle of a wide dusty path that reminded him of those dirt roads he always saw in films. They never led anywhere in particular. The path slid through the area smoothly like a perfect cut in the endless fields that surrounded him.

Reluctantly he pried himself fully off of the path and stood up, continuing to brush himself down with his hands until he was as dust free as it could be. Though he knew that no matter how hard he tried he would never get all of the dirt of. Letting out an annoyed moan, he wrestled out of his Slifer Red jacket that was stuck to him with sweat and launched it into the air behind him with a swing of his arm. The kid stared as the jacket fell majestically in front of the Red dorm building at the end of the path behind him.

Then he turned his back on the image, rolling up the sleeves of his high top shirt. Once again, he ran his fingers through his thick hair feeling a quick whisp of wind on his forehead that made him curl a small smile, whether he realised he was doing it or not.

Jaden narrowed his eyes to try and see the end of path, but there was none he could see. The dirt line just narrowed into almost nothing before disappearing smoothly over the hill. All he could see beyond was the clear blue of the ocean that stretched to the horizon. Thousands of welcoming eyes danced on the water, smiling a smile that Jaden could no longer do, thousands upon thousands of times over. He stood completely still, just staring into the distance, his feet glued to the floor.

Syrus Truesdale marched quickly across the grass, a thousand thoughts racing through his small mind. His open jacket, royal blue in colour, flew behind him in the breeze, the tail becoming one with the air behind him like liquid.

Quickly, the small wooden mass of the Slifer Red dorm rose out from behind the dirt hill and Syrus' pace quickened to make it to the top. Squinting his eyes from the specs of sand and dust that blew into his face he screeched, "Jaden!", although somehow his voice was lost in the wind. Again, he tried to yell, but there was still no answer from the dorm.

Jaden felt the wind getting harder, his naked arms spread with goosebumps in the cold. The wind hit his back like a ten foot punch as he continued to stare into the distance, searching for an end to the endless path in front of him. The force of the wind knocked him forward and he consiously kept his balance and stopped himself from tumbling forwards into the dirt. Nevertheless, like advice from an old friend, the young duelist followed the push of the wind and placed his left foot forward.

Syrus continued running. In a mad panic that shook and spread like thriving life in his mind, he sprinted the perimeter of the dorm looking for his friend. Suddenly, through the blurred pool of tears quickly filling his eyes, he saw the one he was looking for. The sillouette of Jaden Yuki stood out clear as day against the low, setting sun, which cast a long shadow of the man all the way to beyond Syrus' feet, bathing Syrus in darkness. One last time, he yelled his friend's name at the top of his quiet, high voice.

Jaden heard the call of his name from behind him and turned his head slowly into the direction of the voice, catching a slice of wind as he turned against it.

Syrus didn't yell again. He just looked into Jaden's chocolate brown eyes, his own now narrow slits from staring into the wind. As this happened, the gale force breeze hit him like it previously hadn't, launching his feeble body backwards until he was lying on his back in the dirt. Quickly, he scrambled to sit up, and despite winded lungs manage to gasp out the question that no one new the answer to.

"Where are you going?"

The man that cast the shadow didn't change his expression when he answered. He just looked back towards his concerned friend where he lay on the dirt road. Jaden's Slifer Red blazer was sprawled on the ground between them, but Syrus only cared about the person it originally clothed. Even his own Obelisk Blue blazer, despite brand new, did not warrant even an ounce of his concern. But when Jaden answered his eager question, the emotions inside of him didn't move an inch. For the answer needed neither an explanation nor a reaction.

"To grow up."

With that, Jaden turned his head away into the sunlight, and began to walk forward, each footstep making a small crunch in the dirt, the wind seeming to stop momentarily with each step. He dropped his head and, watching the ground pass under and behind him, dragging the long shadow cast by the sun forward and away from Syrus, he began his walk.


End file.
